There's a new supergroup in town. Current and former members of Pantera, Judas Priest and Rainbow are teaming up for a new band called Elegant Weapons, who've announced their existence today along with their signing to Nuclear Blast, who will be issuing their debut album in spring 2023.
The group features Pantera bassist Rex Brown; Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner and drummer Scott Travis; and Spanish singer Ronnie Romero, who's done time in Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group and numerous other bands.
Elegant Weapons' first album is titled Horns for a Halo, and it was produced by Andy Sneap, who's worked on renowned albums by Opeth, Arch Enemy, Trivium, Killswitch Engage and many others.
According to a press release, Faulkner describes the band's sound as "a mix of Jimi Hendrix, Priest, Sabbath, solo Ozzy and Black Label Society — heavy, catchy, and with melody. Sort of old school and modern at once if that makes any sense, and actually down-tuned a whole step ... All told, there are a lot of guitar solos and the songs are on the heavier side. And even though there's a lot of melody, it's still going to shake your bones."
The guitarist went on to say there's only one acoustic song on the whole record, and highlights a particularly heavy number called 'Horns for a Halo.' "[It's] like Tony Iommi crossed with Alice in Chains. That's about the way we justify the bad things we do. When we turn up on Judgment Day, will the angels kind of confuse our horns for halos, if you know what I mean."
"I've always wanted to make a record with Scott outside of Priest," Faulkner said of the band's all-star lineup. "Add to that Rex Brown's unmistakable tone and attitude is something special. Having those guys as the rhythm section is a guitar players dream.
"The icing on the cake was Ronnie Romero. One of the new breed of instantly classic vocalists, Ronnie brought a character and a swagger to the songs that is instantly iconic, making these songs his own."
So far there's no word on when we'll hear Elegant Weapons' first song, but you can check out an illustrated image of the band down below, created by Claudio Bergamin.
